A SECOND half goal salvo secured a young and fit Coventry City a 4-2 win over Nuneaton Borough at Manor Park on Saturday.

A superbly-taken double from the impish Gary McSheffrey spearheaded City to victory after Runar Normann had pulled the visitors level following a Marc McGregor's strike that gave Boro an interval lead.

Both sides produced some neat, attractive football in an entertaining work-out and though it was Steve Burr's men, for whom skipper Jason Peake, Nicky Kennerdale and newcomer Warren Peyton impressed, it was the slicker and more creative City who took the honours.

With Jason Ashby and McSheffrey proving a rare handful for Boro's sometimes overstretched back division, City always looked the most likely to come out on top.

Kennerdale posed early problems as Boro made the early running and it was his near-post flick-on from Peake's smartly-taken free-kick that enabled McGregor to force the ball over the line from close range to give the home side the lead on the half hour.

Seconds later Boro's summer recruit Richard Lavery was a victim of over-enthusiasm when he was sin-binned by referee Bill Ramsay for a reckless challenge on Richard Spong, while right on the break Peake fired in from six yards only to have the effort ruled out for an offside against Kennerdale.

But after the interval, City hit a higher tempo with Normann's stunning left-foot volley bulging the net on 49 minutes and McSheffrey confidently lobbing a hesitant Ryan Young for the second just past the hour.

Cook then forced a brilliant stop from Young and hit the cross-bar with the follow-up, McSheffrey crashing in a fierce cross-shot from the loose ball on, before Leadbeater reduced the arrears on 86 minutes with a 15-yarder from an acute angle.

But it was Cook who served up the final helping, racing clear to lob over Young from the edge of the area.